Mother of victim rejects ties to child rapist

The mother of a girl raped when the child was 12 says she has always supported her daughter and wants nothing to do with the man responsible for the sexual attack.

Upset over a prosecutor’s remarks that questioned her support for her daughter during the Erie County Court sentencing Thursday of rapist Cotrell Jenkins, the mother called The Buffalo News on Friday from her out-of-state residence to say she is a caring parent and intentionally relocated to start a new life for her family and get away from Jenkins, her ex-boyfriend.

Jenkins, 27, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after admitting he raped the girl more than two years ago.

“I don’t appreciate the things that were said in court. My daughter and I have moved on. I believed my daughter from the start,” the mother said in contradicting the prosecution’s claims that the mother only accepted the fact that Jenkins impregnated her child after being shown DNA test results proving his paternity.

The mother says that she does not know the circumstances of the rape but that Jenkins should not have harmed her daughter. Jenkins had said he does not recall the rape, claiming that he may have blacked out from taking prescription pain medication and alcohol.

“My daughter told a few different stories, that she willingly got in bed with him or that he put a pillow over her head. I honestly don’t know what happened. It doesn’t matter if she got into bed with him. She’s a child, and he’s an adult, and he should have walked away,” the mother said.

The rape occurred when the mother was expecting a child with Jenkins. That child, a son, is now 2 years old and lives with her and her daughter and other siblings. The daughter’s pregnancy from Jenkins, authorities said, ended in an abortion.

Despite claims made by Jenkins’ attorney at the sentencing, the mother says she has no intention of reuniting with him when he completes his prison term.

“I don’t want to be involved with him, but he does have the right to see his son when he gets out, if that’s what he chooses to do,” the mother said.

As part of Jenkins’ sentence, Erie County Judge Kenneth F. Case issued an order of protection that prevents him from having any contact with the victim until March 28, 2035.

“He will never have contact with my daughter again. Me, as a mother, would not let that happen,” the mother said.